The Building Tradesman Newspaper

Friday, August 17, 2012

By The Building Tradesman

Labor Day events are scheduled around Michigan on Monday, Sept. 3. Make plans to celebrate Labor’s Day in your area.

Following are worker-related events in various locales in Michigan:

Detroit: For the building trades, a line of march on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, will proceed as usual east along Michigan Avenue toward Campus Martius downtown. The building trades will line up before the parade, as usual, along Trumbull Ave. south of Michigan Ave. The parade will start at 9 a.m.

New this year: instead of their separate march south along Woodward Avenue, other unions will be joining the building trades in a dual march along Michigan Ave. One of the two lines of march are being eliminated due to police budget restrictions in Detroit. The building trades will lead the pack.

Participants will be led by the Elevator Constructors Local 36 and Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25.

Grand Rapids: The Grand Rapids Labor Fest will be held at Ah-Nab-Awen Park near the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, off of Pearl St., one block east of U.S. 131. The day’s events will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Labor Day around the “Spirit of Solidarity” monument in the park.

Activities include free admission to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, live music, food vendors and a beer tent, kids’ activities, labor displays and an antique American-made car and motorcycle show.

Ishpeming: The 23rd Annual Marquette County Labor Council Labor Day Festival will take place in Ishpeming. Food, entertainment, speakers, parade, kids games, free Cliff’s Shaft Museum tours – noon to 2 p.m. The parade starts at 11 a.m,; the march begins and ends at the Cliff’s Shaft Museum.

Muskegon: The West Michigan United Labor Day Parade. Staging will take place from 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. The parade starts at 11 a.m. Meet at Heritage Landing and take the shuttle to the parade route. There will be a picnic lunch at Heritage Landing after the parade.

St. Ignace: The annual five-mile walk over the Mackinac Bridge begins at 7 a.m. on Labor Day. Walkers are allowed to start until 11 a.m. The walk starts in St. Ignace, and shuttle buses ($5) are available for the return trip from Mackinaw City.The Labor Day Bridge walk brings more than 70,000 people to the area.